Driver Slams Brakes to Avoid Mishap, Train Moves 35 Km Backwards

An animal had strayed onto the tracks and the driver of the Purnagiri Janshatabdi Express had to slam the brakes

Visuals from various sources showed the train moving backwards at normal speed 

(Photo: Video screengrab)

Video Producer: Hera Khan

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam

After developing a technical glitch, a train which was on its way from Delhi to Uttarakhand’s Tanakpur district, rolled backwards for over 35 kilometres and stopped in Khatima, around 330 kilometres from the national capital.

The incident happened when an animal strayed onto the railway tracks and the driver of the Purnagiri Janshatabdi Express had to slam the brakes to avoid an accident, after which he lost control and the entire train started moving backwards.

“An incident happened on 17.03.2021 due to cattle run over between Khatima - Tanakpur section. Train stopped just short of Khatima yard safely. There was no derailment and all passengers were transported to Tanakpur safely. Loco pilot and guard suspended in the incident,” North-Eastern Railways said in a tweet.

Visuals shared by ANI and other news agencies show the train passing through a station at normal speed. The clip also shows the train pulling the locomotive backwards in an unusual way.

The passengers were sent to Tanakpur by bus after the train was stopped at Khatima.

A technical team from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit reached Khatima to further investigate the matter.

(With inputs from ANI and NDTV)